Crayon merchandising display box and container



Feb. 25 1969 T. WOLF 3,429,427

CRAYON MERCHANDISING DISPLAY BOX AND CONTAINER Filed Feb. 13, 1967 76 j g 9 INVENTOR' ram/v WOLF Wa ,5. W

A T TORNE) United States Extent Ofice 3,429,427 Patented Feb. 25, 1969 3,429,427 CRAYON MERCHANDISING DISPLAY BOX AND CONTAINER Tobin Wolf, Bloomfield, N.J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Western Publishing, Inc., Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Feb. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 615,645 US. Cl. 20645 Int. Cl. B65d /50, 25/00, 85/28 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention This invention relates to a crayon merchandising display box and container unit.

Crayons are generally housed in a box which presents individual crayon packets. These packets are necessarily limited in their ability to receive a sufficient number of crayons to give a wide variety of crayon colors. Also, the packets are commonly completely enclosed so that one cannot see what colors are contained within the packets. Still further, it has heretofore been assumed and believed that if a crayon sharpener is to be provided, it should be separate from the box or pocket in which the crayons are retained. That is, either an elaborate sharpener must be provided independent of the crayon box( and special pro- IVlSlOIlS must be made if the crayon shavings are to be properly handled and disposed of.

The instant invention provides a unit which both retains and displays the crayons in a maximum number so that the desired assortment of colors is provided, and so that these colors are visible through the container even though the container be unopened. In conjunction with this feature, a crayon sharpener is provided within the container to serve the dual purpose of both retaining the crayons and their packets in position in the container and for the sharpening process, including the arrangement for neat handling and disposal of the crayon shavings.

Brief description of the drawing FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front elevational lview of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are sectional views respectively taken on the lines 5-5 and 6--6 of FIG. 2.

Description of the preferred embodiment A crayon merchandising display box and container combined unit are shown to include the base portion 10 and the transparent cover portion 11. The base 10 has a lower flange 12 extending peripherally therearound, and it terminates in the upper edge 13. A longitudinal center divider extends through the base portion 10.

A floor 16 extends throughout the base portion 10, and upright side walls 17 and 18 are also included in the base portion. Thus the floor 16 and the upright walls described,

and the partition 14 define four compartments designated 19. The compartments 19, and the floor 16 are actually defined on the lower side by floor portions 21 and 22 which are shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, to be inclined, and the length of the portion 21 is greater than that of the portion 22. Thus crayon packets 23- are received and supported in the pockets 19 to be inclined or tilted thereon when the base 10 is disposed in a horizontal position, such as on a desk. The packets 23 include keepers or boxes 24 having open tops for reception and exposure of crayons 26 which therefore have their tips 27 projecting from the keepers 24, as shown. Thus, with the arrangement described and the transparent cover 11, one can readily see the multitude and assortment of colors in the crayons 26. Further, the crayon tips 27 are extending upwardly, and even though there be multiple layers of crayons 26, with only the top layer or row shown in each packet 23 in FIG. 1, one can see that the lower layer of crayons 26 are also extending or exposed in their respective packets and therefore the colors can also be seen.

Further, each packet keeper 24, which may be made of cardboard, is susceptible to having printing thereon for describing the colors, use of the box, or the like, and thus a printed area designated 28 is shown. This printing may be useful in describing the inclusion and utility of a sharpener 29 which is affixed to the cover 11 and extending therewithin for the dual functions of sharpening the crayons 26 and for retaining the packet 23 in the base portion 10 even though the entire unit may be stood on edge or otherwise displaced off a horizontally supported position.

Thus the packets 23 are disposed in multiples within the unit, and FIG. 1 shows a top row of two packets 23 and a bottom row of two packets 23. These two rows are imbricated, as each one rests directly on the floor portions 21 and 22 so that the tips 27 of the crayons in the lower row overlap or are imbricated with respect to the packets 23 in the upper .row which is resting on the floor portion 21.

The cover 11 is snug with respect to the base portion 10, and of course can be removed from the portion 10. The sharpener 29 has its entrance opening 31 in the cover top 32, and the top 32 extends parallel to the base portion flange 12. This means that the top 32 is spaced away from the lower edges of the packets 23, particularly the portions of the packets 23 in the space around the location of the sharpener 29. The sharpener 29 therefore depends from the top 32 to limit the amount that the packets 23, that is the one packet 23 immediately below the sharpener 29, can move away from the floor 16. Therefore the crayons cannot be tipped out of their position, at least where the sharpener 29 is involved. Further, the cover 11 is available for retaining the shavings from the sharpening of the crayons 26, as the sharpener extends within the semi-enclosed cover 11 as defined by the cover walls designated 33 and extending around the four sides of the unit shown and also of the cover 11. The sharpener 29 has cutting edges 34 formed directly in the material comprising the sharpener 29. Thus the cover 11, including the sharpener 29 and its cutting edges 34, may be made of a transparent plastic material, and no special cutters are necessary, such as metal blades, in the sharpener 29. The shavings from the sharpening process can therefore be retained in the cover 11, which would then normally be inverted or at least not held in the upright position shown in FIG. 1. These shatvings can then later be neatly disposed of.

FIGS. 3 and 5 clearly show how the sharpener 29 depends to a point immediately adjacent the crayon packet 23 below the sharpener 29. The sharpener therefore limits the movement of the packet 23 off the floor portion 22.

Likewise, a depending piece 36 is also formed integral with the cover 11 to depend from the top 32 down to a point adjacent the packet 23 on the left side in FIG. 1, and thus it retains this packet on the floor portion 22. Therefore the crayons cannot be tipped out of their position when the cover 11 is on the unit, as shown.

In addition to the cover walls 33 extending around the four sides of the cover 11, the cover has a wall or partition 37 extending across the cover and adjacent the tips 27 of the crayons in the lower row of packets 23. Therefore, again the crayons cannot be tipped out of position, even though the keepers 24 are not completely closed boxes, as the partition 37 prevents the crayons from sliding out of the keepers 24 if the unit be tipped upright.

With the construction described, both the base portion 10 and the cover 11 can be made in a plastic material. Thus the base 10 may be of an opaque white plastic which is molded into the shape shown and described. The cover 11 is therefore of the transparent material, and all of the parts described in connection with it are made integral with the cover 11. By virtue of the transparency of the cover 11, there need be no printing on the unit, as the printing on the crayon keepers 24 is suficient, and the crayon colors can be seen, for merchandising, and they are all securely retained in the unit when the cover is on, and they are readily available for use when the cover is off.

What is claimed is:

1. A crayon merchandising display box and container unit for a plurality of packets of color crayons with each of said packets including a keeper for holding the crayons and arranged to expose the tips of said crayons to have their colors visible, comprising a base having said plurality of compartments, an inclined floor on said base defining said compartments for supporting said packets in a tilted position on said base to have said packets disposed in imbricated relation to present a bottom row and a top row and with said packets being tilted to have said tips of said crayons pointing upwardly when said base is disposed level to thereby have said crayon tips visible for viewing from above said base for displaying all of said crayons in said keepers, a transparent cover removably disposed on said base for enclosing said base and extending over said packets while having said packets visible through said cover, said cover being rectilinear with said base and thereby extending adjacent said tips of said crayons for retaining the latter in said keepers, and said cover including Walls disposed adjacent said tips of both said rows of said crayons for limiting movement of said crayons in said keepers when said unit is tipped to any position.

2. The subject matter of claim 1, wherein the one of said walls adjacent said tips of said crayons in said bottom row is a partition dependent on said cover and extending thereacross.

3. The subject matter of claim 1, wherein said cover is spaced from a portion of one of said packets at a location distal from said tips and provides a space between said cover and said one packet, and a crayon sharpener affixed to said cover and extending through said space between said cover and said one packet for limiting the movement of said one packet off said floor and for sharpening said crayons and catching the shavings in said cover.

4. The subject matter of claim 3, wherein said cover is spaced from another of said packets in the row containing said one packet, and a piece extending on said cover through said space between said cover and said another of said packets in said row for limiting the movement of said another packet off said floor.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/ 1955 Schnitzler et al 206-16 10/1958 Beebe et a1 206-67 XR US. Cl. XJR- 20645.34, 47, 67, 72 

